How to Find the Perfect Football Gift Without Overthinking It

Gift shopping for someone who’s a football fan should be easy – they love football, wear their teams’ colors regularly, and they tell everyone they’re fans. However, when it comes down to picking something out, complications abound.

The number one complication is that football supporters are picky. Very, very picky. The wrong shade of blue, the wrong season’s kit, the wrong logo that screams “I know nothing about your team” will put it on their faces faster than they can say, “I appreciate the effort – but…”.

It’s therefore complicated. But it doesn’t have to be! There are plenty of great football gifts that fit the bill when they come from a place of understanding with at least some thought behind them.

Start With Something They Actually Wear

The safest bet will always be their team’s kit. Not because it’s basic or unimaginative, but because it’s what fans truly want. They wear it to games, they wear it to the pub, they wear it lounging about the house on a Saturday match day. A good football jersey gets a lot of use.

The trick is getting an authentic one. People underestimate how quality matters. There are knock offs that look similar in pictures, but the fabric feels different, the colors are off and fade quickly and the sizing hardly works for those who are average-sized football fans. Thus, going through sites like soccerlord.se makes it easier, as you know you’re getting team merchandise without having to navigate shady sellers or question whether what comes in the mail will be like the pictures.

Sizing comes from a place of concern too; people may make mistakes ordering jerseys. However, most jerseys fit true to size. If in doubt, always get the larger size – no one has ever complained that a shirt is slightly loose but tight shirts sit folded in drawers forever.

The Retro Option Works Better Than You’d Think

Most people will say that if they already have the newest shirt, nothing else would be good to get them anyway. This is a lie. There’s something good about retro kits; it’s like getting an old shirt from your first football game, or the one your club wore in its great Cup run that no one expected, or an old design that looks better with age than you’d ever think.

Retro shirts become a niche of their own. People collect and frame them, they wear them because they’re not what everyone else has and they become garments not overly accessible on typical browsing days. The issue is finding out which retro jersey actually means something to the person you’re buying for.

However, this should come after asking someone what their favorite season was or what game they wish they’d seen. Most football enthusiasts will love talking about this stuff and you’ll effectively get the answer you need without them knowing you’re doing so.

Beyond T-Shirts

Not everything needs to be clothing related. Some of the best gifts are items people use but wouldn’t necessarily buy for themselves.

For example, scarves are practical year-round despite winter being known for cozying up in scarves. Fans wear their scarves no matter the temperature to games because that’s half the fun (plus it’s tradition); therefore, there’s less likelihood of a scarf being wrong besides confusing a Liverpool scarf for a Chelsea one – and since scarves last forever if they’re decent enough, you can’t go wrong getting one as it’s less about sizing for comfort.

Training apparel occupies a middle ground; track jackets/pants, hoodies with club logos – they’re everyday wear more so than typical everyday-use clothing with teams’ logos on them. For example, who’s going to buy their average Joe husband a Manchester United hoodie but get it for a kid who’s actually working out wearing it to coach? Good quality training apparel comes from decent quality since it’s built for athletes – but it’s the regular fans who end up purchasing said gear.

As such, there exists stuff that’s slightly beyond practical versus decorative/collectible. A quality coffee mug with a logo, a nicely framed picture of a momentous game or teams shaking hands afterward or something simple like pins or patches make these items feel like throw aways without proper expertise.

Unknown Teams and Club Too Well-Known? Take A Step Back

Maybe you don’t know their club too well, yet the person has a more obscure team or teams abroad that are hard to find merchandise for. This happens often in smaller clubs or those abroad.

The solution is to focus more on football than a specific franchise loyalty. Books written about sports culture, documentaries – even equipment if they themselves play! Get them a decent football (not soccer ball), get them shin guards, proper training gear (cleats/socks) because you don’t need team logos of any kind on those purchases.

There’s also neutrality; things that football fans appreciate regardless of their clubs. Subscriptions to magazines about football (and not specific clubs), match tickets (if you’re brave enough), even football-related experiences work for anyone who loves football regardless of whether it’s because of their club loyalty or just the game in general.

The Importance of Timing

Birthdays have different connotations than Christmas/Father’s Day gifting. Seasonal appropriateness makes sense; during season gifting, current kits work best but off season allows more freedom for retro or mid-season training gear they’ll genuinely use off-field.

End-of-season sales also tempt but only if you’re sure about sizing and style preference – nothing worse than getting a deal on something that’ll sit in limbo due to you not knowing if they prefer their jerseys tighter/looser/classic designs.

When a person’s team is having a great end-of-season run for playoffs, anything regarding that season will have more weight attributed to it than if they’re having an awful year.

But avoid significance when it comes to negative connotations; no one wants extra merch to remind them their teams are losing out. Go retro instead!

How To Personalize It The Right Way

As mentioned, there shouldn’t be generic gift wrapping for football-specific presents but there should be some context, so it doesn’t just come across as “the first thing I found.” Did you just happen to give them a shirt because you saw it online? Include why you picked that one – “remembered you talking about the 2015 season,” “figured you needed an away kit to complete your set.”

If a milestone comes across then frame it – no one wants another piece of clothing taking space at home regardless – if you’ve got it framed at least it separates itself into something worth keeping.

What Goes Wrong The Most

The biggest problems happen when people make obvious mistakes – don’t gift rival clubs as a joke; it’s not funny as you think. Don’t assume someone likes the same team that others in their region do (this often happens with London-based clubs). And don’t get them a shirt with the wrong player’s name unless you’re absolutely certain that player means something to them.

Take precautions with regards to really cheap merchandise that are not official. You can always spot the difference, and it makes things feel less than worthy when you wanted to give something more meritorious.

The Basic Truth On All Football Fans

Most football fans just want something useful for themselves or someone who will proudly display it or wear it proudly. They don’t need the biggest shock and awe surprises because they’re not expecting people to perfectly know what would make their time on this earth so special in terms of footballing gifts!

As long as it’s authentically decent team gear and you’ve made sure it’s their team and the right size – you’re already ahead of everyone else.

People only overthink it because they worry about doing it right versus just doing something reasonably right and showing effort behind ownership and consideration that notes you at least knew what was important in their lives at that moment. That effort goes much further than trying to find some obscure item they’ve never heard about but would somehow appreciate.

Start with good stuff from their club, sized appropriately from trustworthy sites! Everything else is just bonus points.

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Becky

Meet the award-nominated UK lifestyle blogger behind Spirited Puddle Jumper – a mum of three living in South East London! Becky shares the real ups and downs of family life, parenting tips, and lifestyle inspiration, proving that being a mum doesn’t mean you stop being fun or having other interests! Follow along for honest insights into UK family life and opinions on a whole range of topics, from travel and food, to beauty reviews, home and DIY, business and health and wellness.